Cotton-chopper.



G; L. SMITH.

COTTON CHOPPER.

(Application filed Fe b. 5, 1900.)

Patpnted June (No Model.)

INVENTOR v $21M M ATTORNEY.

R5 co. PHOYO-LITHO., wasnlns'rou n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT L. SMITH, OF HONEY GROVE, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION fonning part of Letters Patent No. 651,784, dated June 12, 1900. Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No. 3,965. CNo model.)

per with driving-gear by which the blades of the chopper can be perfectly and readily adj usted as to height and by which the blades are held in a practically-horizontal position relatively to the ground over which the chopper is moving.

Other objects and advantages will be full understood from the following description and claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the chopper. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. 7 Fig. 3 is an end View of the driving-pinion. Fig. 4 is a broken view of theshifting lever. Fig. 5 is a front view of the axle and certain parts mounted on the axle. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the bracket for regulating the shifting lever.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

The chopper is mounted on two wheels 1 and 2 and provided with an axle 3, having a drop 4 therein. The frame 'of the chopper consists of a bolster 5, attached to the axle 3. The hounds band 7 are attached to the bolster 5 and to the axle 3 at their forward end and to the hanger 8 at their rear end. The tongue 10 is mounted on the body 9 and bolted thereto by bolts 11. The seat 12 is mo'unted on a standard 13, which is attached to two cross-bars 14. These bars rest on the forward end of the body 9, the tongue 10 being partly mounted on the body 9 and partly on the bars 14. A shifting lever 15 is provided'for throwing the driving-pinion and cog in and out of gear, and this lever has a fulcrum on a bolt 16, which is supported in a box 17. The box or bearing 17 is attached to the cross-bars 14 and to the bolster 5. This construction makes a strong support for the fulcrum. Means are provided for holding or wheel and the hole 21 is the hole next to the tongue. For holding the gearing in mesh the lever is pressed toward the wheel and the bolt 19 is placed in the hole 21, and for holding the gear out of mesh the lever is pressed toward the tongue and the bolt 19 is placed in the hole 20. The wheel 22 is mounted on the axle 3 and made rigid with the wheel 1 and provided with cogs 23. The pinion 24 is mounted on the reach-bar 25, this bar constituting a shaft for the pinion to revolve upon. The rear end of this bar rests on a pin 26.

Several apertures are made in the hanger 8,, so that this pin can be placed at different.- heights, and thus support the reach-bar at;

various adjustments. The front end of the reach-bar is supported by a chain 27 which is attached to a lever 28. The lever 28 has a fulcrum in an upright 29, mounted on the tongue 10. The other end of the lever'28 is held at various adjustments by means of a series of pins 30 or otherwise attached to an upright 31,which is fastened to the body 9 and the tongue 10. The reach-bar has upward and downward motion in the throat 32, which is formed by a drop in the axle 3 and in a cut-out in the bolster 5. The lever 15 has a bracket 33 attached thereto, making a passage between the lever and the bracket for the reach-bar similar to the throat 32. A doubletree 34 is attached to the tongue 10 by means of a bracket 35 and the pin 36, which passes through the bracket and the doubletree and up through the tongue. Singletrees 37 are attached to the doubletree. The blades 39 for chopping are mounted on a'cylinder 40 by means of arms 41. The cylinder 40 is firmly attached to the pinion 24 and revolves with it upon the front end of the reach-bar 25, giving a rotary motion to the blades. Cogs or teeth are attached to the pinion 24 and are made elliptical or oval in form, with their greatest diameter parallel with the reach-bar 25, and arerounded at the ends. These cogs or teeth are made to work in the cogs 23 of the wheel 22, the latter being ordinary cogs, except that they must present a broader working surface than the teeth or cogs on pinion 24, so that in the upwardand-downward motion of the reach-bar the cogs upon wheel 22 may present a working surface to the cogs upon the pinion 24 at every point of adjustment. The rear end of the reach-bar moves upon pin 26 as a fulcrum, and in raising and lowering the blades, which revolve upon the front end ofthe reach-bar,

pinion 24 is made to describe the arc of a ous'points of adjustment. The blades areedge of cogs 23, the elliptical form ofthe cogs on pinion 24 preventing clamping at the varimade of a. length equal to the space desired shorter blades.

between the stalks 'of cotton, each stroke of the blade removing the growth between the stalks that are to remain. The circumference of pinion 24 is considerably smaller than the circumference of cog-wheel 22, the respective circumferences being made of such relative sizes that the machine will have moved forward far enough with each semirevolution of the blades between strokes as to have left the desired space untouched about the hill of cotton-that is, about two inches. After the machine has been so constructed the size of space to be left untouched can be diminished or increased by using, respectively, longer or With the mechanism above described the revolving blades can be raised or lowered to suit-irregulari ties in the ground and avoid stumps, stones, and the like without in the least interfering with the operation of the machine, and on account of the reachbar 25, upon the front end of which the blades revolve, extending to the rear of the'machine and operating upon a fulcrum there (pin 26) the raising and lowering of the blades by means of lever 28 practically do not destroy the parallelism between the blades and the ground-that is, the length of the reach-bar reduces the angle between the blades'and the ground when the blades are raised or lowered to a minimum, so as to make the angle of no practical importance. This angle can of course be lessened by lengthening the reachbar. The rear end of the reach-bar can be raised or lowered by means of the pin 26, the effect of which is to raise or lower the general working powers of the machine. This should be adjusted to suit the general contour of the ground andthe height of the team drawing the machine, after which it will be found that all other adjustment either in raising or lowering the blades can be made by means of the lever 28, which is within easy reach of the driver.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1 In a cotton-chopper provided with suitable blades for chopping cotton and means for operating said blades; means foradjusting said blades to suit the irregularities of the ground and whereby said blades are held in such position that the cutting edges'will strike along a line practically parallel with the ground over which the chopper is moving, said means consisting of a reach-bar on which said blades are mounted and means for adjusting eachend thereof, said bar being of suificient length to permit slight adjustments at the front end without requiring adjustment at the rear end.

2. A cotton-chopper havinga suitable axle, wheels for mounting said axle, a suitable frame mounted on said axle, a reach-bar mounted on said frame and capable of vertical adjustment at each end, suitable blades for chopping mounted on said reach-bar, said bar constituting a shaft for said blades, andmeans for driving said blades consisting of a cog-wheel mounted on said axle and rigidly connected to one of said wheels and a pinion mounted on said reach-bar, said, pinion having elliptical teeth whereby said pinion is adapted to engage said cog-wheel when placed at various vertical adjustments. 7

3. In a cotton-chopper provided with a'suitableframe and wheels for mounting and drivin g said chopper, a reach-barpivotally mounted to the rear of said frame and provided with a cylinder mounted thereon and blades mounted on said cylinder, means for driving said blades consisting of a cog-wheel mounted on said frame and rigid with one of said wheels and a pinion mounted on said-reach bar, vertical adj ustments-for each end of said reach-bar, anda lever for holding said pinion inland outof mesh with said cog-wheel.

4. In a cotton-chopper provided with a suitable frame and rotary blades for chopping cotton mounted on said frame; means for op erating said blades at various vertical adjustments consisting of a reach-bar provided with vertical adjustments for each end thereof and having one end projecting to the rear of said frame, a cog-wheel mounted on said frame, and a pinion mounted on said reach-bar and provided with elliptical teeth adapted to be engaged by said cog-wheel at the various vertical adjustments. I

5. A cotton-chopper having blades for chopping cotton, a hub or cylinder for said blades, a reach-bar for mounting said blades, separate adjustments for each end of said reachbar, said bar constituting a shaft for said cylinder, and means for driving said cylinder consisting of a cogwheel, a pinion mounted on said shaft and having elliptical teeth adaptedto engage the teeth of said cog-wheel at various points of adjustment, and'means for driving said cog-wheel. i

6. A cotton-chopper comprising a pair of wheels, an axle mounted on said wheels, a bolster attached to said axle, a body mounted on said bolster, cross-bars mounted on said body, hounds attached to said bolster and axle, a hanger attached tosaid body and to said hounds, a tongue mounted on said body, a

bearing attached to said bolster and crossbars, a shifting lever having a fulcrum in said bearing, a cog-wheel mounted on said axle and rigid with one of said wheels, a reach-bar provided with vertical adjustments at each end, a pinion mounted on said bar for engaging said cog-wheels, and a cylinder provided with blades mounted on said bar.

7. In a cotton-chopper provided with rotary,

blades, means by which a vertical adjustment of said blades can be readily obtained to suit the ground and at the same time maintain the blades in such a position that the cutting edges will strike along a line practically parallel with the surface of a cottonrow; said means consisting of a cylinder upon which the blades are fastened, an adjustable reach-bar extending back to a point at the rear of the chopper, a pin pivotally mounting said bar at its rear end whereby said rear end may be raised or lowered, a lever connected with said reach-bar and within easy reach of a driver by means of which said rotary blades may be raised or lowered, a cogwheel for driving said cylinder, a pinion havin g cogs thereon elliptical in form and rounded at their ends and adapted to be engaged by said cog-wheel at every point of adjustment, an axle and wheels upon which the chopper is mounted, said cog-wheel being made rigid with one of said Wheels whereby rotary motion is given thereto, and means for holding the pinion in or out of gear at will, said. means consisting of a lever with Vertical slot therein to permit upward and downward movement of said reach-bar.

In testimony whereof I set my hand-,-in the presence of two witnesses, this 30th day of Witnesses:

J. L. BALLINGER, T. N. LANE. 

